Manchester duo Hurts made a return visit to Ireland with their recent concert at The Academy, the fifth-date of a short six-date UK & Ireland tour with the band itself having initially made their debut performance here in a somewhat low-key concert in Whelan’s last-May, for what was a short forty-minute set with no-more than eight-tracks performed on the night itself, and at that well received by the just short of full attendance, while since this Hurts have returned to Ireland on two-occasions, both for festival appearances which took place at Oxegen in July, and Electric Picnic in September which combined on the same day with the release of their highly anticipated debut-album Happiness, while The Academy is a mid-sized, and somewhat confined venue, and one with the appearance more of your average night-club, but, also one that generally looks excellent, all though, more so than that of a live-venue in what is a former cinema, one of three once situated, but, long since closed on this street. It’s also a venue that I’ve only visited on one previous occasion, doing so in November 2009 for an excellent Little Boots concert.

Support on the night, and at that on the short tour itself came from the Birmingham soloist Clare Maguire, a twenty-two year-old singer-songwriter, and yes, as the name might suggest, there is Irish roots, on behalf of her Mother as McGuire informed us on the night for what was to be her first concert in Ireland, and one that she had being very-much looking forward to as McGuire herself arrived on-stage at 8.20, complete with a four-piece backing-band that consisted of a keyboardist-guitarist, keyboardist-bassist, keyboardist and drummer for what was to be a thirty-minute set delivered to a fairly full, and largely appreciative venue, while her middle-of-the-road rock (but, not Metal) came across like a less soulful, but punchier version of the Scottish outfit Texas, combined with her fantastic voice for what was a reasonably good-set, and one that featured a number of tracks from her forthcoming debut-album Light After Dark, due for release on Polydor on February 28th, including the new-single The Last Dance which is due for release on February 20th, the track itself, along with the somewhat similar sounding opening-track where for me the highlights of her set, which also included a strong version of Fleetwood Mac’s Looking Out For Love during a set that generally went down very-well with many of those in attendance.

As Clare McGuire departed the stage, the task of moving and rearranging the extensive stage equipment for both acts proceeded against an increasing crowd, and a musical backdrop that included a selection of tracks from the likes of Japan, Joy Division, New Order and Siouxsie & The Banshees that I’m sure where long before the majority of this largely young, and varied audience who awaited the arrival of Hurts who eventually began their set with an impressive, and excellent 80’s Depeche Mode-like Electronic-intro off-set by piercing white strobe-lights that poured around the stage, and into the audience itself, while at that featuring a somewhat simplistic stage-set that featured a backdrop of a large black-sheet, with a picture of two white venetian blinds printed onto it, and yes, the blinds where opened as the backdrop itself was used throughout their set to project a selection of black-n-white footage, largely taken from the videos for their singles, this was proceeded by the four-members of their backing-band making their way onto the stage, a drummer, guitarist-bassist, keyboardist and a female multi-instrument and backing-vocalist who not only looked excellent, and at that looked like she had just walked out of an early-eighties New Romantic club, but, also looked very-similar to the girl in the original Wonderful Life video - or am I wrong?, probably so, while Hurts themselves eventually arrived on-stage to a huge roar of approval as they proceeded through a largely excellent set, and one that featured just about everything that they have recorded, and released to date in their big and somewhat bombastic live style, all though, sharp and clear, I also felt that the sound was just too loud, while the set itself included their afore-mentioned debut-album, from the loudly appreciated Wonderful Life, complete with its B-side Mother Nature, to their forthcoming new-single Sunday Girl, due for release on February 25th, to a further B-side, and one taken from their Better In Love single, and at that their cover of Kylie Minogue’s Confine In Me, which also went down well, while front-man Theo Hutchcraft certainly seemed to be enjoying himself throughout the show, maybe it had as much to do with surviving their epic ferry crossing earlier that day against a force 10 gale, and all that went with it, while also proceeding to throw at various stages during the show itself white roses into the crowd, and yes, they were real as he eventually forewarned those who were falling over themselves to catch one to be mindful of the thorns, and for once, Adam Anderson stepped away from his piano to play guitar on Evelyn as he made his way around the stage as the end of the track itself somewhat descended into what sounded more like the theme for an Italian spaghetti-western before completing their set with a one-track encore, which featured Better In Love, and one that had the majority of the crowd itself singing and dancing along, for what was, and somewhat disappointingly so, a shorter than expected set, but, still excellent concert that that lasted no-more than an hour.

Despite being somewhat disappointed with this, the crowd gradually departed as the lights came on within a venue that’s a complete nightmare to get out of, and especially with everyone leaving through the one set of doors, and down a steep, dimly-lit flight of stairs, which wasn’t made any the easier with this concert being sold-out, and with that just under a thousand in attendance, no doubt due largely to the sensible ticket-price of just under €20.